May
Comments

Mum of child rape victim (4)
guilty of perverting justice…A woman whose four-year-old daughter was
raped by her partner as she attended an evening class found out she
was pregnant by him on the day of the sex attack, a court has
heard.The 27-year-old woman
was remanded in custody after appearing in the dock of Belfast
Crown Court on a charge of trying to pervert the course of
justice.In March the woman's now
former partner was unanimously convicted by a jury of raping her
four-year-old daughter in the house they shared in Co
Antrim.However, it emerged
yesterday that despite being found guilty of raping the child on
November 13, 2013, the 26-year-old Co Antrim man continues to deny
the offence.Both the victim and her
mother have since left NI.During the trial, the jury was told the man
was not the child's biological father, that he had met the child's
mother via the internet and that they then set up home together in
Co Antrim.On the evening of the
attack the girl's mother was attending an evening class and the
little girl was being looked after by the man she called
"Daddy".While at the class the
mother received a call from the accused.When she arrived home and saw her child was
bleeding, she asked a neighbour for advice and the youngster was
taken to Antrim Area Hospital.While there, the girl's mother initially
lied about how her daughter sustained the injury.She claimed that she swiped the child's hand
away from her private area while in the shower.But she later admitted this was a lie and
pleaded guilty to trying to pervert the course of
justice.Her barrister, Kieran
Mallon QC, said that on the date of the offence his client "became
aware she was pregnant" with her partner's child, which rendered
her both shocked and confused.She went on to have a little
boy.He also said
despite her initial lies, his client did "come clean" and inform
police she was not at home when the injuries were
sustained.Crown prosecutor Terence
Mooney QC also said how the former partner, found guilty of rape,
continues to "resist culpability" despite the "overwhelming and
compelling" evidence.Judge Gordon Kerr QC remanded both her and
her ex-partner into custody and reserved sentence until next
Wednesday.Sat

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:46
AM

1/2...One year after Tuam
scandal, survivors blast lack of progress…One year after the Tuam babies story made
global headlines, survivors say they are “deeply disappointed” by
the lack of progress being made by the inquiry.For decades after it closed, the Tuam,
County Galway Mother and Baby Home lived on in the local
consciousness, a gloomy and folkloric place that had been left
alone and not built over.Instead a small plaque had been erected in
the remaining plot of land that read: “In loving memory of those
buried here, rest in peace.”Just as they had in its decades of
operation, most locals were content to look the other
way.But one woman found she
couldn't. Catherine Corless, who had grown up in Tuam whilst the
Home was still in operation, vividly remembered how stigmatized the
Home Babies in her own class had been by both teachers and
pupils.“Those children were
brought up to believe they weren’t worthwhile, that they didn’t
have the same rights as everybody else,” Corless told RTE's "Where
In The World" in April.The unease this awareness created compounded
by the fact that her own mother had grown up in a similar
institution finally compelled her to explore the baleful history of
the Tuam Mother and Baby Home with a level of engagement that
contrasted sharply with the nation’s long
indifference.What she discovered shocked the entire
world. Chronic infant mortality rates and most shocking of all the
death certificates of 798 forgotten children whose tragically short
lives had been erased by unmarked and unrecorded graves.

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:43
AM

2/2...That fact the that it
took the efforts of an impassioned and diligent local historian
rather than a government investigation or a fully fledged academic
inquiry to bring this scandal to light is one of the things that
makes it especially distinctive and compelling.Unconstrained by political considerations,
Corless was free to pursue her investigation wherever it led
her.What eventually emerged at Tuam
held a mirror up to every other Mother and Baby Home in the country
and to the pervasive and controlling shame that help foster their
notorious cruelty.From 1922 onward, records show that
unsanctioned motherhood was effectively outlawed by the Irish
State. The contagion also spread to their offspring, who were
variously treated as unfortunate,unwelcome and undeserving of the
care and compassion afforded to the children of married
couples.It remains to be seen
how much of an appetite the Irish people or their political leaders
really have for the whole truth to emerge.The Commission of Investigation into Mother
and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters) was announced in
February of this year by the Irish Minister for Children and Youth
Affairs, Dr James Reilly, but it is still getting under way.
Despite a €21 million ($23m) operating budget, it does not yet have
a dedicated website.The time frame the Commission announced for
the completion of its work is three years. It could be 2018 before
we read a line of their report.Critics, fearing that this heralds a
whitewash, demand to know just how limited the Certain Related
Matters subheading will turn out to be.

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:41
AM

3/3...Denis Vincent Twomey,
an Irish Catholic priest and a Professor Emeritus of Moral
Theology, has also expressed his own unease about the Commission of
Investigation, but in his case because the appointment of Judge
Yvonne Murphy as chairperson raises the expectation of criminal
findings and “may have the undesired effect of leading many people
to think the investigation will not be all that different from
those that went before” into child abuse and neglect by church
authorities.Twomey has also lamented
what he calls the sensationalistic and inaccurate early reporting
of theTuam Mother and Babies Home story, although the death
certificates of the children and their unmarked graves are both a
matter of public record and observable fact.What is certain is that the legacy and scale
of the crisis is much larger than Tuam itself and that for many
mothers and babies who were sent to these institutions the crisis
has not ended.In May, Terri Harrison from the “Mother to
Mother Dublin” group called for greater transparency in the
investigations into the homes.“As life givers in Ireland, we were cast
aside, denied our basic human rights. Our loss hidden, our truth
never told, our lives lived beneath a veil of deceit.“No Mother has been asked to partake in the
Commission of Inquiry to assist, or to support them in unveiling
the very essence of an unspoken chapter of Irish
history.“It is only when we all
acknowledge our wrongs, our misgivings, can we truly face each
other” It is still an open question how much will be acknowledged,
or when.Fri

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:20
AM

Cop and
Paste...http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/jail-terms-for-school-abuse-trio-31258419.html

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:19
AM

China has executed a primary
school teacher for raping and sexually abusing 26
schoolgirls....Li Jishun committed the crimes between 2011
and 2012 while teaching at a village in Gansu
province.During his trial, the
Supreme People's Court heard that Mr Li preyed on pupils aged 4 to
11 who were "young and timid".Dubbed locally as the 'Grave threat', the
teacher is believed to have raped 21 of his victims and sexually
abused the other five in classrooms, dormitories, and the forest
surrounding the village near Wushan town.In a statement read out in court, police
said that some of his victims had been raped or abused more than
once.No mention was made to how he
was caught.Mr Li was put to death
on Thursday by the court in Tianshui, who said that the “heaviest
punishment possible was required because of the harm caused to the
children and the extremely negative social impact of the
case.”“He took advantage of
those who were both childish and timid and committed his acts in
dormitories or classrooms,” it added.In a rare disclosure of abuse statistics,
the Supreme People's Court reported that it had heard 7,145 cases
of child sexual abuse last year, and that these case types had
risen by 40pc between 2012 and 2014.Mr Li's sentencing was met with widespread
approval on China's microblogging platform Weibo, with many
expressing shock at the youth of his victims.Fri

ANONMay 29th, 2015 @ 11:14
AM

PSNI officers disciplined
over handling of suspected sex offender…Two PSNI officers have been disciplined for
their handling of a suspected sex offender.Failures in the early investigation meant a
man who allegedly exposed himself to three young schoolgirls was
never caught, a watchdog has found.Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire said: "
This report required police to attend immediately; regrettably this
did not happen."Police lost 32 minutes in responding to the
call and with this an opportunity to apprehend the
man."The alleged incident happened at
Beersbridge Road in east Belfast last August.In a 999 call, it was claimed the suspect
had approached the girls, all aged seven, exposed himself and asked
them to touch him.Despite circulating his description within
two minutes, the case was not prioritised as an
emergency.It was only after a
second call was received advising the alleged offender was still in
the area that a police vehicle was sent to the scene, the Ombudsman
said.Also, CCTV footage from a nearby
petrol station was not retrieved and the tapes were automatically
wiped while further footage from a shop was
overlooked.The Ombudsman was asked
to investigate after a complaint from one of the girls'
fathers.Investigators examined
all police documentation, listened to phone calls and radio
transmissions, visited the scene of the reported incident and spoke
to a number of people, including the mother of one of the alleged
victims.The police dispatch
officer and the investigating officer were both
disciplined.Fri

ANONMay 27th, 2015 @ 10:25
AM

Copy and
Paste...http://news.sky.com/story/1490572/abuse-survivors-lose-faith-in-goddard-inquiry

ANONMay 27th, 2015 @ 10:21
AM

Copy and
Paste...http://news.sky.com/story/1490903/police-vow-to-provide-justice-over-abuse

ANONMay 27th, 2015 @ 09:35
AM

Copy and
Paste...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3098468/Blood-chilling-scandal-thousands-babies-stolen-State-TV-agony-aunt-Denise-Robertson-s-spent-years-investigating-says-s-monstrous-injustice-age.html

ANONMay 26th, 2015 @ 11:27
AM

1/2...Children in direct
provision at risk of abuse…Inspections watchdog Hiqa has expressed
serious concerns about children living in the direct provision
system, with an inspection report showing they are at risk of
physical and mental abuse.The inspections carried out by Hiqa, the
Health Information and Quality Authority, showed that evidence or
claims of physical or mental illness of parents, exposure to
domestic violence, physical abuse, and neglect were “common themes”
in children in the asylum system who were the subject of referrals
to the Child and FamilyAgency, Tusla.Hiqa said there was an obvious “disparity”
given that 85% of the children in direct provision who were the
subject of child welfare and protection concerns in one year met
the threshold for an initial assessment.That compares to an average of 50% of
children generally who are similarly referred and meet that
threshold.The inspections found
there had been 209 referrals of child protection and welfare
concerns about 229 children in the year to the end of last August
14% of the total number of children living in direct provision
(DP).That rate is considerably higher
than the 1.6% of children in the general population who were the
subject of a referral in the same period. Of the 178 referrals that
met the threshold for an assessment, 91 related to child welfare
and 87 to protection.The report by Hiqa on the management of
child protection and welfare concerns by the Child and Family
Agency involving children in DP also highlighted the potential for
mental health issues in children, gaps in practical support, and
“excessive physical chastisement”.

ANONMay 26th, 2015 @ 11:24
AM

2/2...There were also
instances where children were left “home alone”.The inspections took place across numerous
dates in November in Louth, Meath, the Midlands, Sligo, Leitrim,
West Cavan and in the Dublin North City area, with office-based
interviews in December.Worryingly, the report the first of its kind
indicates that in some cases action was not taken to protect
children because cases were closed prematurely or because
information was not passed on due to “gaps in communication”
between service providers and Tusla. Of the 87 cases involving DP
children referred nationally in 2013, care orders were obtained for
13 children and Gardaí were notified about abuse in 18
cases.EPIC (Empowering People In Care)
said the report indicated a “crisis” in DP while Tanya Ward, chief
executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said: “Hiqa’s report
paints a painful picture of life in direct provision for children:
children not having enough clothes or toys; children not
experiencing play or normal family life; children forced to share
communal bathrooms with strangers; and parents being unable to care
for their children due to their own deteriorating mental
health.”Gordon Jeyes, the chief
executive of Tusla, said the agency accepted there were issues that
needed to be addressed and that Tusla’s chief operations officer
was overseeing a rapid improvement programme.Sue Conlon, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council
who earlier this year resigned from the Government-appointed expert
group that is reviewing protection issues involving DP, said of the
report:“There are no surprises
the surprise is nobody seems to be taking it
seriously.What are we waiting for?
Do we have to wait for the death of a child? I hope
not."Tues

ANONMay 26th, 2015 @ 11:18
AM

1/2‘...Hollow’ apologies over
child sex abuse…Apologies by governments for historical
child sexual abuse “ring hollow” when children continue to be
abused by the system, a leading charity has said.Children at Risk in Ireland (CARI), which
provides therapeutic services to sexually abused children, said
that the lack of services nationally was harming “a new generation
of forgotten children” to whom an apology will need to be given one
day.CARI said if these children are
left unsupported, many struggle to cope and that children as young
as eight experience thoughts of suicide and self-harm.CARI therapy supervisor Monica Murphy said
the lack of services for such children was “a shocking scandal”.
CARI runs a therapeutic service in Dublin and Limerick, while
statutory services are only available in Dublin.Speaking at the launch of CARI annual report
for 2013 and 2014, she said: “There are huge gaps in the provision
of services. Where you live in Ireland may decide whether a service
is available or not.Therapeutic services are urgently needed at
a regional and national level.”She said CARI had been trying to bridge this
gap, but has had to shut services in Cork, Naas, and Wicklow due to
funding cuts.The reduction of funding has also resulted
in the number of therapists it has being cut by a third. This has
had the effect of a 29% cut in therapy hours available to children
and their families.“It feels like we are swimming against the
tide for funding,” said Ms Murphy.“National apologies for past practices ring
hollow when children continue to be abused by an inadequate
system.The sad irony is that
the lack of services and practice is harming a new generation of
forgotten children to whom a national apology will one day be
owed.”

ANONMay 26th, 2015 @ 11:15
AM

2/2...CARI chief executive
Mary Flaherty said the charity has suffered “impossibly difficult
budgetary pressures” since 2009.She said it was unacceptable that there were
waiting lists at their Dublin and Limerick centres and that
children can be waiting up to a year to be seen.The report said that given an appropriate
therapeutic space these children “can go on to lead a fulfilling
life”.Addressing the launch,
Children’s Minister Dr James Reilly said he would “like to see more
investment” in the area. He told the media afterwards that the lack
of services nationally was “something this Government needs to look
at no doubt about that”.The report, which said 3,000 children report
sexual abuse every year, comes just days after the sixth
anniversary of the damning Ryan report the commission into child
abuse at religious institutions.The CARI report said a new Child Advocates
service in Galway where a staff member supports children attending
the sexual assault and treatment unit was the first of its kind.
Figures showed that 58% of children using the service were
pre-schoolers.The most common age was four years old, with
the youngest child being an infant of eight months.Helpline: 1890 92 45 67; helpline@cari.ie;
www.cari.ieTues

ANONMay 26th, 2015 @ 11:10
AM

Man arrested over child abuse
allegations…A 76-year-old man has
been arrested in connection with an investigation into child sexual
abuse over a 13 year period.The man is being detained at Terenure Garda
Station pending an appearance at Dublin District Court later this
morning.The man, who worked in a
lay position at a church in Dublin, is due to face more than 70
charges.The abuse is alleged to
have occurred between 1977 and 1990.The investigation was carried out by
officers from the Garda child protection unit.The man was arrested by Gardaí from the
sexual crime management unit in the city this morning.The arrest arose out of a long running Garda
investigation - 'Operation Bluebird' - into child sexual
abuse.Tues

Magdalene survivors can still
apply for redress and special medical cards…Magdalene laundry survivors have been told
they can still apply for redress and avail of special medical
cards.The HSE will start to
issue ‘RWRCI Cards’ to women in June and eligibility for the health
services will take effect on July 1.In the meantime, the HSE will be directly
contacting the women who have accepted a formal offer made under
the Restorative Justice Scheme.A woman who has accepted a formal offer made
to her under the scheme will receive a Redress for Women Resident
in Certain Institutions (RWRCI) card from the HSE, which identifies
the holder as qualifying for a range of health services provided
for in the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act
2015.The HSE will make available,
without charge, the following primary and community health
services:• GP
services;•
prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances;• dental, ophthalmic and aural
services;• home
nursing;• home
support;•
chiropody/podiatry;• physiotherapy;• counselling services;The HSE will also provide further
information about the health benefits directly to the qualifying
women.Speaking to RTÉ radio,
Kathleen Lynch, the minister of state for primary and social care
said there is still time for women to apply for redress so they can
avail of the medical cards.Some 512 women have already accepted an
offer of redress.Claire McGettrick of Justice For Magdalenes
Research said the group were “appalled” that the Government
announced further delays to the implementation of the Quirke
redress scheme on the same day so many Irish people turned out to
vote for equality.Ms McGettrick pointed out that, to date, no
guide to health services has been produced for Magdalene women,
while “the health needs of Magdalene women who have emigrated now
seem to have dropped off the agenda”.Meanwhile, the Coalition of Mother And Baby
Home Survivors (CMABS) held a remembrance service outside the Dáil
to mark the first anniversary of the Tuam infant deaths story
breaking.The group has called on
the Government to implement its ‘Just Three Principles’ an
immediate apology and redress; full inclusion of all mothers and
children forcibly separated and all related institutions; and the
passing of Senator Averil Power’s Adoption Bill within six
months.Tues

Royal Commission
investigating detention centre allegations…The head of the Immigration Department has
confirmed the royal commission into child sex abuse is
investigating the department over claims of children being abused
in Australian immigration detention centres.The commission would also demand ‘‘Notices
to Produce’’ documents from the department over alleged abuse of
children in immigration facilities, secretary Michael Pezzullo told
a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday.Last week, Fairfax Media revealed the
national inquiry was investigating the department the first federal
agency to be examined by the commission regarding allegations of
sexual abuse.The department said it was only aware of the
commission being interested in ‘‘historical matters’’.Immigration Minister Peter Dutton described
the article as ‘‘rubbish’’.‘‘Well, it’s a rubbish story,’’ he told 2GB
radio.‘‘Unfortunately, they
haven’t accurately reported that.As I’m advised, the royal commission is
seeking advice about some instances from decades ago and the
department will comply, they’ll provide whatever documents are
requested and they’ll answer the questions.’’But Mr Pezzullo said immigration officers
had since met with the commission.‘‘There certainly have been discussions with
officers of the commission about a prospective draft notice to
produce documentation,’’ he said.Mr Pezzullo said his department would
co-operate with the investigation. He knew about a number of sexual
abuse ‘‘incidents’’ that had occurred since late February in both
Australian detention centres and offshore detention centres such as
Nauru, the Senate hearing was told.Senate documents show the Department of
Immigration and Border Protection has recorded a further 28alleged
sexual abuse incidents involving children occurred in Immigration
detention facilities from February 2014 to February
2015.A recent Australian Human Rights
Commission inquiry also uncovered 44 instances of children being
sexually abused between January 2013 and July 2014.Mr Pezzullo said 12 cases were ongoing, 20
had been closed or referred to other authorities and seven had been
‘‘declassified’’.The rest of the cases may have been doubled
up, he said.Mon

ANONMay 23rd, 2015 @ 10:30
AM

Magdalenes finally get
promised health cards…Women who worked in the Magdalene laundries
and two similar institutions will get a long-awaited health card
giving access to a range of free services including GP
careThe card will be given to women
who have accepted a formal offer of compensation under the
Restorative Justice Scheme.Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and
Social Care Minister Kathleen Lynch said the "RWRCI Cards" will
issue to the women in June and take effect from July
1.In the meantime,
the HSE will be directly contacting the women who have accepted a
formal offer made under the Restorative Justice
Scheme.It will entitle them to
GP services, prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances,
dental, ophthalmic and aural services, home nursing, home support,
chiropody or podiatr, physiotherapy and counselling.Ms Fitzgerald said: "The Government has
given its commitment to implementing all of the recommendations
made by Mr Justice Quirke in his report on the Magdalene
Laundries."The Government has
already set up a range of payments and supports for the women who
worked in these institutions."Payments of up to €100,000 are being made
to these women, depending on their length of stay in the laundries.
In addition, the Department of Social Protection is making pension
type payments to these women."The Department of Health said that, with the
HSE, it was examining arrangements to be put in place for health
services for women living abroad.Sat

ANONMay 23rd, 2015 @ 10:28
AM

Child abuser has sentence
halved as judges rule six-year-old victim 'was gay'Two Argentine judges are under fire after
cutting the sentence of a paedophile in half on the grounds that
his six-year-old victim was gay.Describing the now 11-year-old as having a
“homosexual orientation”, appeal court judges Horacio Piombo and
Benjamín Sal Llargués decided to cut the prison sentence for Mario
Tolosa from six years to three, as they felt his victim was
“accustomed to sexual behaviour” following years of abuse by his
father.“It cannot be considered
abuse when a boy is used to being abused in his home and is
accustomed to sexual behaviour and has a homosexual orientation,”
they said in their ruling.Calls to impeachment the judges have spread
across the country after the verdict came to light last
week.Justice Piombo defended the
decision on Monday, saying that before Mr Tolosa molested the boy,
the child had already suffered “the initiation by his father into
the worst of worlds, leading him to depravation.”The judge said that as a result of that
experience, the boy had showed “signs of a transvestite conduct, of
conduct we had to take into account.”Adding that Mr Tolosa’s actions could not be
considered “gravely outrageous” in legal terms because his victim
was already “making a precocious choice” about his
sexuality.The ruling dates from
last year but become public last week as prosecutors at Buenos
Aires’ Supreme Court decided to appeal the verdict.The Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays,
Bisexuals and Trans have demanded the judges be removed from the
bench, saying the ruling placed the victim "in the position of a
suspect".Interior Minister
Florencio Randazzo said the ruling was "an
embarrassment"."It's repugnant to say that the presumed
sexual orientation of an abused six-year-old boy is a reason to
reduce the sentence of the abuser," he added.Sat

ANONMay 23rd, 2015 @ 10:26
AM

Children's nurse in dock on
child porn allegations…A children's nurse nurse has appeared in
court accused of child porn offences.Belfast man Aaron Ravel (45) faces four
charges connected to "graphic" material allegedly found on his
computer.It was stressed that
none of the images are connected to his work. Ravel, of Cavehill
Road in the city, is charged with making, possessing and
distributing indecent photographs of children.He is further accused of having an extreme
pornographic image.All of the charges relate to discoveries
made in October last year.Ravel is understood to have been suspended
from duties since his arrest.Standing in the dock at Belfast Magistrates'
Court, dressed in a dark grey suit, he nodded to confirm he
understood the alleged offences.A detective constable said he could connect
the defendant to the charges.Defence solicitor Padraig O Muirigh stressed
that the accused fully co-operated with police.Judge Bagnall agreed to adjourn the case for
10 weeks. Ravel was released on continuing bail to return to court
on July 31Sat

ANONMay 23rd, 2015 @ 10:24
AM

89-year-old jailed for child
abuse…An 89-year-old former
teacher and Scout leader has been jailed for seven years for
"awful" abuse of two of his pupils.Peter Farrands, also a former church
minister, told one of his victims the young boy was his "special
lad" as he abused him in a classroom at the Folville Junior School
in Leicester during the 1980s.His other young victim was abused as he
stood at the front of the class and read a book, but Farrands was
careful to ensure the other pupils could not see his
assault.Sentencing a
frail-looking Farrands, Judge Hammond said that the attacks were
"awful, awful offences" on vulnerable youngsters which had left the
victims "tormented" into adulthood.The judge was "moved" by the witness
testimony of one of the men for whom the effect of abuse "has been
frankly devastating", he added.The other youngster was Robert Gibb, who
said after sentencing today at Leicester Crown Court: "There's no
forgiveness."The 49-year-old, who has waived his right to
anonymity, said: "If he had been a younger man, he'd have got
longer."He did wrong to me and
I think the sentence is adequate."Farrands was convicted last month by a jury
of five counts of indecent assault against both his victims during
the 1970s and 1980s.Some of the abuse happened at school, but
also while both boys were out on organised trips along the canal
accompanied by the then Scout master.Mr Gibb was aged 10 or 11 when a three-year
period of abuse started in 1976 while he was a pupil at the school
in the Braunstone area of the city.During that time, Farrands rubbed his
genitals over Mr Gibb's clothing while in class, and then again on
a Scout trip.On one occasion during an assault he told Mr
Gibb: "Let's get this little soldier to stand up", out of hearing
of the other pupils.Judge Hammond recounted another incident
where Mr Gibb was drying himself with a towel on a scouting
excursion and Farrands touched him."Robert broke free and said if he didn't
stop touching him he'd tell his mother. He was 13," said the
judge."After the incident,
Robert told his parents and his parents contacted the school and
met the headmaster, who was very dismissive and said Robert was
lying.Sat

ANONMay 22nd, 2015 @ 12:41
PM

1/2...Hundreds of children
neglected as ‘urgent’ files foundAt least 127 children have been identified
as requiring “urgent attention” following an emergency review by
the Child and Family Agency of case files recently discovered in
Laois and Offaly.Tusla confirmed that an audit of 743 case
files had found that 660 required the allocation of a social worker
including 127 that require immediate action.The review had been prompted by the
discovery at the end of April of hundreds of files by a recently
appointed principal social worker in Tusla’s Portlaoise
office.The discovery of the
files as well as another 822 files where gardaí had made referrals
to either Tusla or to the HSE had sparked concerns for the welfare
of the children mentioned in the previously unattended-to
files.Tusla said it was “with
regret” that it acknowledged it had not had the capacity to get a
“clearer picture” of the situation in the two Midlands counties and
that it was now taking steps to bring in additional staff so it can
deal with referrals while the backlog of cases receives “urgent
attention”.Fred McBride, Tusla
chief operating officer, said: “A clear weakness identified in the
Laois/Offaly area has been that relating to filing and records
management.“It is with regret that
Tusla acknowledges its lack of capacity to readily access
information which would have given a clearer picture of the
operation of social work in Laois/Offaly which would have lessened
concerns regarding files.“Efforts will be ongoing to strengthen IT
capacity, not just in Laois/Offaly but throughout the
organisation.”Some of the files discovered in Portlaoise
dated back as far as 1998

ANONMay 22nd, 2015 @ 12:39
PM

2/2...Tusla said that,
following the completion of the audit of the discovered social work
files, its management procedures are being reviewed and improved
and a reform duty and intake system is also in operation involving
six social workers managed by a principal social
worker.The revelation that some
children may have remained in vulnerable or abusive situations
because of the lack of attention paid to the files comes after
Tusla chief executive Gordon Jeyes told an Oireachtas committee
earlier this month that the status of the files had been “unclear”
at the time they were found in the office in
Portlaoise.Mr Jeyes said the
“previously unidentified” files had been found after Tusla’s new
service delivery framework had been put in place.However, the Impact trade union said the
files were not “unidentified” and claimed senior management within
the agency had been made repeatedly aware of their existence over a
number of years.Impact assistant general secretary Denis
Rohan said the files had been “part of the statistical returns”
social workers made on a monthly basis and the reason they had not
been fully attended to was due to a failure to provide cover for
staff on maternity leave alongside an increased demand for child
and family services.Tusla said yesterday: “While all referrals,
some of which dated back to 1998, had received some level of
attention, the standard file management procedures had not been
followed.”Laois/Offaly already had
a backlog of 500 cases awaiting allocation when the additional
files were discovered.Tusla is currently piloting the National
Child Care Information System, an IT system for tracking and
recording child welfare cases, in the Midwest which, pending a
review, will be rolled out.Fri

ANONMay 22nd, 2015 @ 12:36
PM

OAP faces prison for
breaching sex order…A pensioner faces up to five years behind
bars after he pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of a
court-imposed order to keep him away from children.Standing in the dock of Newry Crown Court,
72-year-old Robert McComb pleaded guilty to four counts of
breaching the court-imposed sexual offences prevention order (SOPO)
a number of times between September 12 and October 18 last
year.No facts of the case were heard,
but details of the charges disclose how McComb had unsupervised
contact with a child without prior approval from Social Services
and loitered near Banbridge Leisure Centre and Assumption Grammar
School.The SOPO, along with a
three-month suspended jail term, was put in place on September 5,
2013 by District Judge Mervyn Bates after McComb admitted sexually
assaulting a girl under 13 in the middle of a busy supermarket on
July 25, 2012.The judge heard that a week after the
incident the girl's mother told police how her young daughter had
been sexually assaulted in the middle of Asda supermarket in
Portadown and the schoolgirl herself said a man had "slapped her
bottom".McComb was handed a
further suspended term earlier this year after he pleaded guilty to
sexually assaulting a woman.Judge Kevin Finnegan QC adjourned passing
sentence until June 5, releasing McComb on continuing bail in the
meantime, advising him to co-operate with the probation officer who
will write a report on him.Fri

ANONMay 21st, 2015 @ 10:43
AM

Cardinal accused of ignoring
child sex abuse…George Pell, an Australian Cardinal who is
one of the most senior figures in the Vatican, has been accused of
ignoring and covering up child sex abuse claims during his service
in Australia, including allegedly trying to bribe a victim of a
paedophile priest to remain silent.In dramatic testimony at Australia's royal
commission into child sex abuse, David Ridsdale said he was abused
by his uncle, Gerard Ridsdale a notorious paedophile and defrocked
priest and phoned Cardinal Pell, who tried to silence
him.Mr Ridsdale said he spoke to
Cardinal Pell in 1993 but the priest did not appear shocked and
instead attempted to bribe him. Cardinal Pell has previously denied
the claim."George then began to
talk about my growing family and my need to take care of their
needs. He mentioned how I would soon have to buy a car or house for
my family," Mr Ridsdale said.Mr Ridsdale said he recalled "with clarity"
the last three lines of the conversation:"Me: 'Excuse me, George, what the **** are
you talking about?'"George: 'I want to know what it will take
to keep you quiet.'"Me: '**** you, George, and everything you
stand for.'"Cardinal Pell is now
based at the Vatican as prefect of the secretariat for the economy
and has been given the task by Pope Francis of overseeing and
reforming the city state's economy.A former Archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne,
he has long been dogged by criticisms of his handling of child sex
abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia.Lawyers for the Catholic Church's witnesses
at the commission said Cardinal Pell would provide a statement if
asked but it was unlikely to differ from his previous
response.In a statutory
declaration in 2002, Cardinal Pell said of Mr Ridsdale's claim: "It
was alleged that I said to David words to the effect 'What will it
take to keep you quiet?'"I emphatically deny having said these words
or any words to that effect.I emphatically and totally deny the
allegation that I made any attempt to buy David's
silence."Thurs

ANONMay 21st, 2015 @ 10:38
AM

1/2..Oakwood School: Former
pupil 'forced to eat own vomit'…After two teachers admitted abusing children
at a state boarding school, a former pupil has said she was left
"traumatised" after being forced to eat vomit and witnessing
serious violence."Boys were hit, force-fed sick, slippered,
beaten in the sports barn," said Niomi Gabrielle, a former pupil of
the now-closed Oakwood School, in Stowmarket, run for boys with
emotional and behavioural problems.The school, which operated from 1974 to
2000, has been at the centre of a Suffolk Police inquiry into
allegations of excessive physical abuse.Two former teachers admitted two offences
each this week, while other charges against them, and two other
teachers, were dismissed at Ipswich Crown Court.Corporal punishment was made illegal in UK
schools in 1987.Brian Alliban was at a mainstream primary in
Bury St Edmunds but was moved by the authorities and his parents to
Oakwood, from the age of eight, until he left in 1986 when he was
16.He had gender reassignment
surgery in adult life and is now known as Niomi Gabrielle. She
watched the Oakwood trial from the public gallery at
court."There were teachers who
were very demanding and very violent in the way they treated other
boys and elements of that have traumatised me ever since," said Ms
Gabrielle."The punishments which
were meted out were legal to a point, but when it got to the stage
of whacking someone's head against a canoe for example, that is
over the top in terms of how a child should be treated by a member
of staff."She said one of her
worst memories was being forced to eat liver at mealtimes, which
she she did not like and then being forced to eat her own sick when
she vomited.